Improvement in automatic stove-pipe dampers



axmiwm AUTOMATIQ STOVE-PIPE DAMPER. n 17 45 B-atenterl April 25, 18 76"INVCNTU WITNESSES:

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NILTED $1 IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC STOVE-PIPE DAMPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,645, dated April25, 1876 application filed March 24, 1876.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that 1, SOLOMON KEPNER, of

Pottstown, in the county of Montgomery and whereby the damper can-beregulated for any desired degree of heat, and made to automaticallyregulate itself, both by closing the damper and by opening a valve toadmit cold air, so as to save trouble and time in watching the damper,overheating of the stove, and a useless waste of fuel.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is an inverted view of the lower valve alone. Fig. 4 isan enlarged sectional view of the pipe alone.

a represents a common stove-pipe, and b an iron perforated diaphragm,rigidly secured in position, in any desired manner, just below theopening a in the pipe, through which cold airis admitted. Suspended by alever, 01', of any desired length or construction, is a damper, e,-ofsimilar construction to the one I), and which moves laterally over thelower one, to just close the orifices or openings in it, yet leavingenough of an opening around its edges .for the escape of the gas andsmoke. Secured to one side of this damper is the valve g, which closes theopening '0 in the side of the pipe, so as to prevent the admission ofcold air when it is desired to heat the stove up to any desired degree.It will be noticed that, the damper and-valve being connected together,when the valve is open, admitting cold air, the damper is obstructingthe passage of the products of combustion up the chimney, and thus thefire is at once checked in a double manner. The upper end of the leverd'is bent at right angles, passed out through a slot in the side of thepipe, pivoted between the ears i, so tha: it can vibrate back and forth,and has a number of notches cut in its upper edge for the adjustment ofthe weight It back and forth. By the adjustment of the weight on thehorizontal arm of thislever, the damper and valve can be so balanced asto move very quickly and readily, or so that it will require some littleforce to move them.

' After the fire is lighted and itis determined what heat is necessary,the weight is adjusted accordingly. As the air becomes heated it risesin a rarefied form through'the pipe, forming more or less of a vacuum,and lowering the pressure inside of the pipe below what the atmosphericpressure is on theoutside. As soon as the air in the pipe becomes sorarefied that the pressure within the pipe sinks far enough below theatmospheric pressure on the outside that the pressure of the air canovercome the force of the weight by pressing the valve 9 inward, thenthe dampere moves over the perforated diaphragm b, as already described,and the valve at the same time ad,- mits cold air. When a greater heatthan usual is required, as for baking, the weight is so adjusted on the.lever that the valve and damper will not move until the air in the pipebecomes so rarefied that its pressure is reduced far below the outsidepressure of the atmosphere, when the pressure from the atmosphere forcesopen thevalve. As soon as the fire becomes cooled down to that degreewhere the air in' the pipe is not so rarefied, then the weight draws thedamper and valve back into position, where they remain until the heatagain ,reaches the regulated degree, when the air again opens the valveand closes the damper.

It will be readily seen that the damper is thus made self-acting afterit has once been set, so as to require no further attention or thought,except to change it from time to time, as a greater or less degree ofheat is required. By thus making it self-acting the stove can neverbecome overheated, a useless waste of fuel is prevented, and an even,regular temperature always preserved.

Having thus described my invention, I elaim.-

' 1. An automatic damper consisting of the combination of a movabledamper, an airvalve, and a weighted lever, substantially as v Intestimony that I claim the foregoing I shown. have hereunto set my handthis 23d day of 2'. The combination of the movable damper, March, 1876.a perforated diaphragm, air-valve, and a hole SOLOMON KEPNER. in thepipe, whereby the damper is made to Witnesses: close and cold air isadmitted into the pipe, ROBT. M. BARR, substantially as set fortln F. A.LEHMANN.

